Public access channel lets you host your own cable TV show

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

How would you like a half-hour of free television publicity every week to promote your business or organization?

If you’re willing to do the legwork, it’s yours for the asking if you have a public-access cable television channel in your community.

For a nominal fee, many stations offer classes that teach you how to use the cameras and operate the studio equipment. Some stations let you take equipment outside the studio and shoot on location. The program is broadcast only to the communities the cable company services. Examples of how you can use the shows to get publicity:

• If you do consulting, you can interview members of your own consulting firm about their areas of expertise.
   

• If you're a non-profit, these shows are a great vehicle for explaining what your agency does, recruiting volunteers and interviewing agency executives. See Fail-proof Publicity Tips for Your Non-Profit.
   

• If you specialize in small-business issues, you can ask local small-business people to appear as guests on your show and interview them.
   

• If you own a dog training school, produce an entire series of shows on how people can train their dogs. Feature one or two lessons each week.
   

• If you're an author, produce a show or a series of shows that tie into the topic of your book. Or produce a show about books in which you interview other authors in your community.
   

• If you own a restaurant, produce a series of shows featuring cooking lessons.
   

• If you own a small business, you can produce a series of shows explaining how people can solve a particularly problem. The owner of a cleaning service, for example, can produce a program on how to do spring cleaning faster and easier. See The Fastest, Easiest Ways to Publicize Your Small Business--Even if You're a Solo Entrepreneur.
   

• Promote your school, college or university with a series of shows featuring professors, interesting students, unusual classes, and how-to segments that tie into your class offerings. See Special Report #15: Publicity Tips for Schools, Colleges and Universities. 
   

Don't worry about the issue being too controversial. The cable company can require that you have technical abilities and that you have a business within the geographic area it serves. Beyond that, the stations cannot dictate which topics will be aired.

Local origination programs differ slightly from public-access because they provide someone to work the camera for a small fee.

Call your local cable TV company for more details.
 

Special Report #5: How to Identify Story Ideas Within Your Company or Organization will help you determine which ideas you can turn into a program, or an entire series of programs.

Or book Joan Stewart to present "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Print Space and Air Time" for your next seminar or convention. Email Joan at JStewart@PublicityHound.com or call 262-284-7451 for availability.

Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for reprint rights, to:

Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451
JStewart@PublicityHound.com